The Twin Ports community gathered at AICHO for the 10th annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives march. This is part of MMIWR‘s Action and Awareness day to help spread awareness for families searching for their relatives.

Community members wore red to honor missing and murdered indigenous women and relatives. Friends and family members shared stories about the loss of their loved ones. One of the missing people is Peter Martin, who was last seen on March 8th, 2024. Isabelle Proulx is Peter’s niece. She says since his disappearance has been incredibly difficult for her mother.

“Since my mom is the oldest, I can tell it’s hard for her. She really doesn’t talk about her feelings,” Proulx said. “But I could just see it in her eyes that there’s a lot of lost and hurt. Wondering where her little brother is. It’s been tough for, all of us.”

Peter Martin is just one of several indigenous people who have gone missing in the Northland. Organizations like AICHO, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office are continuing to spread awareness, and help families search for their loved ones. Isabelle says she regrets not reaching out to her uncle before he went missing.

“He was always smiling. He was always with his mom, Tina Martin. It’s just hard to believe, that he’s gone,” Proulx said. “I don’t even want to say gone, because I’m trying to keep hope for my mom and my family. I regret not reaching out to him, the past couple months, before he went missing.”

Isabelle says you should tell your family how much you care about them, because never know if it’s the last time you’ll see them. She remembers the last time she saw Peter before his disappearance.

“The last time I saw him, he had a little smirk. He wasn’t talkative, he was quiet. He looked at me and smiled,” Proulx said. “It could be something little. It could be just a hi. You never know. It’s going to be the last hi you ever see.”

Peter’s family still haven’t given up hope searching for him. Isabelle says they routinely monitor their social media if they hear any new information trying to find her uncle.

“I still make posts just so it’s not forgotten. I will never shut up about it,” Proulx said. “I’m going to keep talking about it until something comes up.”

The 10th Annual Memorial March sponsored by  Native Lives Matter Coalition in Duluth with community partners, and organizations like the American Indian Community Housing Organization, Pavsa, Casda, WE Health, YWCA Duluth, and others in the Duluth community continuing to spread awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Relatives.

The event was also supported by MN MMIW Office and WI MMIW Taskforce. “The strength of the Twin Ports MMIWR movement is collaborations and many of our community partners join in solidarity to honor lost loved ones and walk with families to support their call of justice and healing.” said organizer Rene Ann Goodrich, Native Lives Matter Coalition